On the threshold of the pre-synod, which was held in Rome from March 19 to 24 and gathered young people from all over the world, the third monthly meeting “On the footsteps of Mary” was held on Saturday, March 17, with the evening theme “The true source of Gain”.
The Rev. Fr. João Chagas, missionary of the Shalom Catholic Community and head of the Youth Section of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, stressed that young people should not be content with just the answers he gave, but to seek answers to their own questions. Starting from the messages of Pope Francis for the various WYDs over the years, Fr. Chagas has mapped out an itinerary guided by the words of the Holy Father, the Saints and the Bible.
“Some of the challenges young people are called in the contemporary world are linked to the socio-economic dimension – unemployment, precarious work, consumerism, and so on – while others touch the field of relationships, of affectivity; then there are the problems related to wars, violence, terrorism. We can summarize these challenges by linking them to three p: possess, pleasure, power “, says Rev. Fr. João Chagas. How to respond to these three p? Freedom in relations with things and people, “Courage of sobriety” and Mercy.
Immediately after answering the questions of some young people, Barbara Tavares, a 23-year-old missionary from the Shalom Catholic Community who works as a volunteer in the Local Organizing Committee for WYD in Panama, gave her testimony of the beauty of responding to the Lord’s call in a different country.
This was the third of 10 monthly meetings for all young people in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, in Rome. Participating by asking questions and giving testimony, young people came from different ecclesial realities such as the Renewal in the Spirit, the Spiritual Movement of Maranatha, the Community of Emmanuel, the Focolare Movement and many other young people.
The next meeting will be on April 21st and the evening will focus on the theme “The guys know how to put in place”.
The vigil: “On the footsteps of Mary”
Motivated by Pope Francis in his message for WYD 2017 which calls for “a great harmony between the journey towards the WYD of Panama and the synodal journey”, the Shalom Catholic Community, with the support of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life and the Secretary for the Synod of Bishops 2018, it realizes in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore a series of vigils of prayer and formation. The meetings, which take place every third Saturday of the month, are organized by young people and for young people: they can intervene, ask questions and prepare themselves spiritually for the Synod and for the WYD, following the footsteps of Mary.
The aim of the meetings is to help young people to mature their desire to follow Mary on a journey of discipleship and missionarity, following the example of Pope Francis who, before each apostolic journey, stops to pray in this Basilica before the icon of Salus Roman Popoli. The Cardinal Archpriest of the Basilica said about the icon: “We also remember that this image from 2003 is closely linked to the World Youth Days. We can say that John Paul II entrusted this icon to the young and thanks to you, even if ancient, it is always young”.
SERVICE
When? (every third Saturday of the month for 10 meetings)
1st meeting: 20 January 2018
2nd meeting: 17 February 2018
3rd meeting: March 17, 2018
4th meeting: 21 April 2018
5th meeting: 19 May 2018
6th meeting: 16 June 2018
7th meeting: 22 September 2018
8th meeting: 20 October 2018
9th meeting: 17 November 2018
10th meeting: 15 December 2018
At what time?
From 7.30pm to 9.30pm
Where is it?
Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore – Cappella Salus Roman Popoli
INFORMATION
Shalom Catholic Community Site: comshalom.org
Facebook of the Shalom Catholic Community:
https://www.facebook.com/comunitacattolicashalom /
https://www.facebook.com/events/148463812602859/
Instagram: @comshalom_it
Press Office: international02@comshalom.org